Einherjar
by Drakai
Summary: The existence of Gods depends greatly on their followers. Those with none are gradually erased by history. But what happens when a lapse in judgment causes an archaic religion to be fueled, not by faith, but a single bloodline.
1. Chapter 1

"**Chidori!**"

"**Rasengan!**"

The epic clash of two young teenagers. Ok, so 'epic' _may_ not be the best word to describe it. But try to reserve your judgment until later, shall we?

One of the teens was called Sasuke Uchiha, the last of the once-great (subjectively of course) Uchiha clan, completely killed off by one of their own. Itachi, Sasuke's older brother. So, not so great (objectively). He was clutching lightning in his right hand and glaring at the other teen.

The other one wasn't really called. He would just come himself, usually. Answering to the name of Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto, to be precise. And orphan of the late Fourth Hokage, and Jinchuriki of the Kyūbi no Yoko. Also glaring, he was holding a rotating orb in his hand.

Calling out their signature attacks, the two leapt, clashing in the middle of the Valley of the End.

The **Rasengan** impacted the shoulder of Sasuke's left arm, ripping it cleanly out of the joint, crippling him for life.

Naruto, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. The **Chidori** pierced through the center of his chest, obliterating half of his heart.

The two impacted the ground, Sasuke grinning madly, laughing at the downed blonde.

"I did it. I finally did it! I killed you. You're dead, you blonde son-of-a-bitch, dead!"

"Yeah, I've noticed. But tell me, why aren't your eyes changing, Sasuke?" Naruto caught, spitting a glob of blood, struggling to speak. "Shouldn't you get the next level? That's what you told me, isn't it?"

"What? No!" He looked at the puddle next to them, seeing a reflection of his Sharingan, still in its three-comma state. "Why? Why didn't it work!?"

"Heh, for being so smart, you sure are an idiot."

"What!"

"Guilt, _idiot_! You have to feel guilty about what you've done. _That _is the key." Naruto laughed, before sputtering again. "Damn, that hurts."

"I'll strangle you with my bare hands you damnable bastard."

"With your own _hand_, you mean." Naruto grinned. "I don't know if you've noticed, but you're kinda short one." The Uchiha glanced to the left, staring dumbly at his steel-bleeding hole.

"What?"

"Not too bright, are you?" Naruto grinned, grabbing the Uchiha's left hand.

"What are you doing?"

"So you wouldn't escape."

"What?" A moment later their silver-haired Sensei jumped out the tree line following a small brown pug.

"Naruto…"

"Hey Sensei, I'll be with you in a moment." He squeezed the Uchiha's hand tightly. "Listen to me well, Sasuke Uchiha. You may have killed me now, but don't think for a second that will stop me. Somehow, some way I will end you. You will not have a moment's rest from here on; I'll make sure of it. That is y curse." He turned to the silver-haired Jōnin with a small smile. "Sensei, sorry, but I won't be coming back to the village, so if you could just throw my body in the river, that'd be great."

"Naruto… I'm sorry."

"Don't be, not your fault the moron doesn't play well with others." He coughed violently, spitting out another large glob of blood. "Heh, looks like the fox finally gave up on this wound. Pass my farewells to those who'd care enough, will ya?" Kakashi nodded. "Goodbye, Sensei." He closed his eyes, breathing out for the last time.

"Goodbye Naruto." Kakashi sighed sadly, dismissing Pakkun. He made a **KageBunshin** which gently pried the Uchiha's hand from Naruto's, and picked up the blonde boy, carrying him to the river. The real Kakashi grabbed the now-freed hand, breaking it in two places.

"Gah! Sensei, what…?"

"Better do something about that wound." Kakashi calmly made a single hand sign, setting his hand aflame. "Wouldn't want you to bleed to death before getting to Konoha." He put the hand on the wound, instantly cauterizing it.

Sasuke couldn't help but scream in pain.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He wasn't sure if he should admit it or not, but Naruto kinda enjoyed Sasuke's pain-filled screams. Well, what was left of him, anyway.

It was _the _oddest feeling, looking down at your recently-dead corpse through your ghastly, transparent hand.

Hearing a roar behind him, Naruto didn't have enough time to turn around when a large red paw struck him, whipping his body into smoke. It reformed a moment later.

"I'm dead, Kyūbi." He deadpanned, turning to the demon. "We both are."

"I _know_." The fox shot the blonde with a murderous glare. "Stupid human, why did you let the Uchiha kill you. The Uchiha! Of all people!" The giant demon fell down, covering its snout with its paws. "I'll never hear the end of this."

All Naruto could do was watch the fearsome demon with a giant sweat drop. "There, there, Kyūbi, you'll get those pesky Uchiha someday." He petted the top of the demon's snout.

"Did you just 'there, there' _me_?" Kyūbi growled. The ground below the demon fox turned red, and a complicated seal-circle appeared. "Well, looks like this is my ticket home. Get out of the circle if you don't want to come with." Naruto did that, watching the Kyūbi with a mixture of relief and sadness. "It'll take me about ten years to reform, so maybe we'll see each other again someday." Chains shot out from the circle, wrapping around the demon.

"What are you talking about, you stupid fox. I'm dead."

"He, he, I know something you don't know." The demon's sing-song voice was the last thing Naruto heard before the seal-circle folded in on itself.

A deathly, unnatural chill went down Naruto's spine as the air turned heavy. In front of him appeared a sudden darkness, which looked like it was pulling all the light in from its surroundings. A purple-skinned figure dressed in white robes stepped out, grinning evilly at Naruto.

"So, ya finally kicked the bucket. Been waiting for ya for quite some time, mortal."

"The Shinigami, I presume." The blonde's voice carried a note of fear before he could stop it, and the Death God's grin widened.

"Yup. Now I'm gonna stab ya with this here knife." He twirled the blade in his fingers. "And take ya with me on a little trip."

"Ah, no, I'm afraid you shall not." The voice that spoke was slick and elegant, with a slight accent.

The man that accompanied the voice was tall, if slightly lanky, with long black hair dressed in a green long coat with golden trimmings. He wore a golden helmet with two very large antlers and held a cross between a spear and a scepter, made from gold with a glowing blue center at the tip.

"What are you doing here, Forgotten God?"

"Forgotten? Hardly. We have already told you; as long as there is still one of _that_ bloodline left we shall never be forgotten."

"But there aren't any left. The last one died."

"He did." The newcomer made a small, mocking bow. "And, as per agreement, he shall choose."

The Shinigami gritted his sharp teeth and, drawing the dagger from its sheath, dashed at the other god, who was still grinning mockingly. The purple Death God was forced to stop his charge when a giant ice-blue paw impacted the ground in front of him, knocking up the dust.

"Yes, well, we had anticipated you would be, ah… 'difficult', so I elected to come in my daughter's place, along with some reinforcements." The paw belonged to a giant wolf, easily bigger than the Kyūbi ever had been, that was currently glaring down at the Death God.

"You." The Shinigami growled, but backed down in what Naruto was almost sure could be described as fear.

"Me." The wolf growled simply. "What do you want done with this one, father? Should I eat him?"

"No, my son, I believe that would not be necessary." The grin on his face told that he wouldn't have minded whatsoever. "Methinks our Shinto friend is ready to see reason now." The Shinigami glared, but said nothing. "Now, child, your name would be Naruto Uzumaki, yes?" The blonde nodded. "Excellent. My name is Loki. I am the God of Lies, Trickery and Mischief of the Norse Pantheon. This is my son Fenrir the God-Eater." The giant wolf grunted in greeting, eyes still locked on the Shinto god's form. "My dear boy, before you lays a choice. A crossroads, if you will. You may choose to go on with the Shino god to his version of the afterlife, or you may elect to go with us to ours. We shall respect your decision all the same, of course."

"You." Naruto answered immediately, pointing at Loki.

"Should you not at least consider the choice?" Loki blinked in surprise.

"Nope. You."

"Very well then." The God of Mischief smiled, lifting Naruto up. "They are expecting us in Asgard."

"Can I ride the giant wolf?"

"Of course. Fenrir, if you would?" The wolf shrugged, and grabbed the back of the boy's jumpsuit, before depositing him on his back. With that, they disappeared into the mist.

"Dammit!" The Shinigami took a moment to recollect himself before disappearing as well.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What!?" Kami, the God of Life, Heaven and the Afterlife of the Shinto Pantheon was _not_ pleased when Shinigami brought him the news. "Idiot! Do you realize what you've done?"

"So they got on soul, its nor that big of a deal."

"No, it's far worse. They don't have reincarnation, nothing's stopping them from declaring the brat one of _those _and sending him right back to convert more souls. Do you realize just how much you screwed up?"

"Erm…"

"It's bad enough that confounded Trickster conned me into making the deal about blood, not faith, but this!"

"It's just one soul boss."

"So? That moron Jehovah started with just one soul, too. And look where it got him. He had most of the fucking world in less than two thousand years."

"What can we do now?"

"What can we do? Nothing, that's what! Not about the soul. But that doesn't mean we won't fight back. Go get me that bloody fool Jashin here now. And ready those souls you swallowed, they'll come in handy."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**I'm really excited about this one. Norse mythology is by far my most favorite.**

**You've noticed, I hope, that the struggles will be focused between the Pantheons, not within them. So Fenrir won't actually eat Odin.**

**Loki is based on the MCU one. Because he's pretty awesome.**


	2. Chapter 2

Yeah, so Naruto had to admit, a rainbow was _not _what he was expecting. To be completely honest, he wasn't entirely sure what he _was _expecting. Flames, or frost, lightning, light, shiny gates… but a damn rainbow? It was kinda cool, though.

"Where are we?"

"This, my dear boy, is Bifrost. It bridges the gap between Asgard and the other realms. It is also referred to as…"

"Rainbow Bridge?"

"My, however did you know?" Loki grinned at him, earning a glare from the blonde. "Now come, we're nearly there."

"Nearly where? And where's the wolf? Wasn't I riding him?"

"I already told you, Asgard. And Fenrir is a tad too large to cross the Bifrost. Therefore I have sent him back to his lair. We are off to meet Father."

"Father?"

"Well, stepfather, really. If you want to get technical his title is 'Allfather'. He is chief among us. Our King. And he wants to speak to you. Now, now, don't fret." He chuckled at Naruto's nervous face. "Father has a soft spot for children. But don't tell him I said that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Loki was a lying bastard. At least that was what Naruto thought. It took them _ages_ to get off the damn rainbow. His feet almost fell off. What Naruto failed to realize, of course, was that the God of Mischief _did_ tell the truth. From a certain point of view. His, specifically. Immortals do not tire as easily.

The sight that greeted the blonde was amazing.

Asgard was the realm of the Gods. Their home. It spanned several hundred miles from the gates of Bifrost. Stone, wood and gold were the main building materials used for the houses and halls. At the center of the city was a gigantic hall at least a couple of miles long. It was there they were headed.

The gigantic door opened before the two to a long throne room filled with large tables. Meany people were gathered there, some short, some tall, and most decked out in heavy armor, holding various weapons. The throne at the back on an elevated platform, made from wood and furs, simple but very impressively built. On it an old man with broad shoulders was seated. He had long grey hair and beard, and a single stormy grey eye. The other socket was empty.

"Welcome to the Halls of Valhalla, Naruto." Loki whispered to the awestruck and nervous boy. "This is where warriors slain in battle would feast during the day, awaiting the night, when they would do battle, prepare for Ragnarök."

"Then where are they?"

"It is, ah… complicated. Father will explain in due time." The two walked up to the throne. Loki gave a small bow and stood to the side, next to a massive blonde man who clapped him on the back, earning an annoyed glare.

Naruto really didn't know what to do. He just stood there awkwardly, looing in the single eye of the large old man in front of him, who did nothing but stare back.

Naruto blinked. The old man blinked back.

"Hello." The god was the first to speak, in a deep, wise voice.

"Hello. I'm Naruto. Who are you?"

"My name is Odin, dear child. The Allfather. King of Asgard. We have much to talk about."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in the Shinto version of Heaven, in a round room with various thrones put in a circle, three gods stood.

"Have you talked with your servants, Jashin?" Kami turned to the third man, dressed in blood red armor, with wild red hair and eyes, and a crazy grin on his face.

"Yeah, don't worry boss, I got it covered. Brat won't know what hit him. My boys'll kill him dead."

"He's already dead, moron." The Shinigami muttered next to him. "Killing him might not even be possible."

"What are you thinking, Shinigami?"

"If they do turn him into one of those damnable zombies he might not be able to die. Not for long, at least. I don't even know how that works." Kami nodded in thought.

"The souls?"

"The first two are slightly less of a problem; they are deep in our faith. The last one… I don't even think we _can _use him. He's too strong, and his love for the brat is too big. Even mentioning his name sets him off. I still have indigestion."

"We'll forget him for now, then. Maybe keep him as a hostage. Jashin, you have three years to at least double the number of those crazy followers of yours." Jashin cackled as e disappeared.

"Three years, boss?"

"We need time to prepare as well. And we don't know when they'll send him. Tend to your duties for the time being. I'll call you when I need you."

"You got it boss."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in Valhalla, the conversation shifted from the large throne to the large table covered in various foods, mostly composed of meat, and many pitchers filled with mead. Most of the various gods had already left, leaving only Loki, Odin, Odin's other son Thor, the blonde man from before, a woman with black hair who introduced herself as Lady Sif and Frigga, Odin's wife. They watched as the blonde ate the meat, taking a small break in conversations for the moment.

"Why am I here?" Naruto asked, putting down a bone form a boar's leg.

"What do you mean?" Odin asked.

"Why have you sent him to get me?" He motioned to the grinning Loki. "Why not just leave me to the Shinigami? Does it have something to do with my family? My father?"

"Smart child." Loki chuckled.

"Aye, t'is gladdening to see such a strong man sitting in Valhalla once more!" The blonde god practically yelled out.

"Inside voice, brother. We have talked about this."

"Ah, yes, you are right, of course, Loki. My apologies young Naruto." The boy nodded before turning ack to Odin, waiting for answers.

"Many, many lifetimes ago the entire world was slit into several continents, and each continent in countries." Odin started, stroking his beard. "Many of these countries had different religions, spanning from pacifistic to human-sacrificing. We were one of the religions, a 'Pantheon' of gods worshipped by the Nord Vikings of the cold Northern regions." He paused a bit do take a gulp of mead. "The Shinto Pantheon, the gods you have worshiped thus far, was another, resident in the deep East isles of Ancient Japan. We gods had survived on the faith and prayers of our people, giving them miracles in return."

"They, after a couple of thousand years of the world working, a young man called Isa of Nazareth appeared in the sandy countries of Africa and the Middle-East." Naruto grabbed a nearby flagon and brought it to his nose, sniffing cautiously. "Be careful with that, it is somewhat strong." Naruto shrugged and took deep gulps from it, coughing a bit.

"Ha. That's how a real warrior drinks." Thor bellowed, slamming his own flagon on the table and slapping the boy on the back.

"Thor, please."

"Apologies, father. I had gotten carried away."

"Yes, but please try to restrain yourself. Where was I?"

"Isa from Nazareth." Lady Sif supplied helpfully.

"Yes, thank you my dear. That young man had stared converting followers to his own, monotheistic religion."

"That means 'one god'." Loki explained to the confused boy.

"Yes, thank you. He first started converting from the Greco-Roman Pantheon, but soon his religion spread all over the world. In less than two thousand years Jehovah, the god of that Judeo-Christian Pantheon, had claim to much of the world."

"It was another thousand years before some of us other gods started fighting back. There was a great war between the Indian, Greco-Roman, Shinto, Norse and Judeo-Christian Pantheons, which sundered the world, reshaping it into what it is now. And the Shinto gods, headed by Kami, had won. We others were forced to back off completely."

"That is where I come in." Loki grinned somewhat smugly, obviously happy with his part in the story. "I had a talk with Kami, and very subtly tricked him into signing a contact. Not your standard, mortal signing, mind. To gods, blood is more important than ink."

"Yes, my brother was most crafty that day, and is the main reason we are still here." Thor proudly slapped Loki's back.

"Enough you brute!"

"Ignore them, child. They do not always get along." Frigga smiled kindly at the blonde boy. Naruto decided he liked her; she was very kind and didn't yell a whole lot. Ironic, seeing as how Naruto himself would be yelling just as loudly as Thor in a few months. "Husband, please continue your story."

"Yes, of course. Loki managed to work out an agreement between us and the Shinto gods: we would choose one bloodline to claim as ours, but would wait until the last one of them dies. When he does die, we would claim his soul for our own, and we would get the other souls of the bloodline as well. We chose the Namikaze clan, because they had the looks and the attitude of our old Viking worshippers."

"Namikaze? I know that name…"

"The Fourth Hokage was named Minato Namikaze."

"Right… wait, are you telling me the Fourth Hokage is my father." Odin nodded. "That is so awesome." Naruto muttered, raising his pitcher of mead. "To dad." He drank a gulp, letting out a smaller cough than before. He liked the honey drink. "You said you'd get the other souls. So where is he?"

"Yes, I was coming to that. The rest of the Namikaze souls are already in transit to Valhalla, they will be here in a few weeks. Your father is another matter. Because he called the Shinigami, the Death God ate his soul, and they are using that to keep him, we believe as a hostage against you."

"But why? What can I do, I'm dead."

"You are." Odin nodded. "But the Norse have something we call 'Einherjar'. They are the souls of warriors died in battle, brought to Valhalla by the Valkyries, who have been sent back to Midgard to do battle once more."

"Valkyries?"

"Beautiful women riding winged horses." Thor explained simply, now holding Loki's head in a hold, dodging the punches the black-haired god was throwing at his face.

"Thank you my son. And put your brother down." He did as told. "Children, I swear." Odin shook his head.

"So, I am to be this Einherjar?"

"Yes. We will train you for a few years in battle and strategy, and when you are strong enough for the dangers ahead of you, we will send you back to Midgard to start converting the Shinto followers to our religion."

"Sure. Sounds like fun." Naruto grinned, knocking his pitcher against the Allfather's.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**I changed the concept of the Einherjar somewhat. In Norse mythology they were the warriors who occupied Valhalla, waiting for Ragnarök. Here they are the ones sent back to Midgard. Like in Age of Mythology.**


End file.
